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UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 


From  the  Library  of 


0002209301 1 


Elizabeth  Morton  Johnston 
Patterson 


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THOMAS    BAILEY    ALDRICH 


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BOSTON: 
HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  AND  COMPANY. 

Wdi  Mitxmt  Press,  Camiji-iUfff . 

1880. 


Copyright,  1877. 
By  JAMES   R.  OSGOOD    &    CO. 


Ittst   of  Illustrations. 

Engraved  by  A.  V.  S.  Anthony. 

"  How  came  the  dainty  Baby  Bell " Jessie  Curtis. 

"  O'er  which  the  white-winged  angels  go  "      .     .  Jessie  Curtis. 

"  The  celestial  asphodels  " .  A.  V.  S.  Anthony. 

Lihes  of  the  Valley A.  V.  S.  Anthony. 

"  The  swallows  built  beneath  the  eaves  "  .     .     .  T.  Moran. 

"  O'er  the  porch  the  trembHng  vine  "     ....  A.  R.  Waud. 

"  Baby,  dainty  Baby  Bell " Jessie  Curtis. 

"  The  light 

Of  those  oped  gates  of  Paradise  " Jessie  Curtis. 

"  The  mother's  being  ceased  on  earth  "...  Jessie  Curtis. 

"  And  now  the  orchards,  which  were  white  "  .     .  J.  A.  Brown. 

"  The  grapes  hung  purpling  in  the  grange  "   .     .  F.  T.  Merrill. 

"  Her  Hssome  form  more  perfect  grew  "...  Jessie  Curtis. 

"  Around  her  pale  angelic  brow 

We  saw  a  slender  ring  of  flame  " Jessie  Curtis. 


List  of  Illustrations. 

"  God's  hand  had  taken  away  the  seal 

That  held  the  portals  of  her  speech  "...  Jessie  Curtis. 

"  We  never  held  her  being's  key  " Jessie  Curtis. 

"  We  saw  its  shadow  ere  it  fell " Jessie  Curtis. 

"  All  our  hopes  were  changed  to  fears  "...  Jessie  Curtis. 

The  Reaper  Angel Jessie  Curtis. 

"  At  last  he  came,  the  messenger  " Jessie  Curtis. 

Tail-Piece A.  V.  S.  Anthony. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2011  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


http://www.archive.org/details/babybellOOaldr 


BABY    BELL, 


Have  you  not  heard  the  poets  tell 
How  came  the  dainty  Baby  Bell 

Into  this  world  of  ours  ? 
The  gates  of  heaven  were  left  ajar: 


Baby  Bell. 

With  folded  hands  and  dreamy  eyes, 
Wandering  out  of  Paradise, 
She  saw  this  planet,  like  a  star, 

Hung  in  the  glistening  depths  of  even, 
Its  bridges,  running  to  and  fro, 
O'er  which  the  white-winged  Angels  go, 


Baby  Bell. 


Bearing  the  holy  Dead  to  heaven. 
She  touched  a  bridge  of  flowers,  —  those  feet, 
So  light  they  did  not  bend  the  bells 
Of  the  celestial  asphodels, 
They  fell  like  dew  upon  the  flowers 
Then  all  the  air  grew  strangely  sweet 
And  thus  came  dainty  Baby  Bell 

Into  this  world  of  ours. 


She  came  and  brought 


( 


delicious  May. 
The  swallows  built 

beneath  the  eaves ; 
Like  sunlight,  in 

and  out  the  leaves 


The  robins  went,  the  livelong  day; 


Baby  Bell. 


The  lily  swung  its  noiseless  bell ; 

And  o'er  the  porch  the  trembling  vine 
Seemed  bursting  with  its  veins  of  wine. 


How  sweetly,  softly,        '"^^^^^pl 

twilieht  fell!      ^^' '^h'^^^^^^^^^W^^^ 


O,  earth  was  full     .^^'j 


of  singing-birds  ' 


And  opening 
springtide  flowers, 
When  the  dainty  Baby  Bell 

Came  to  this  world  of  ours  ! 


III. 


O   Baby,  dainty  Baby  Bell, 
How  fair  she  grew  from  day  to  day! 
What  woman-nature  filled  her  eyes. 


What  poetry  within  them  lay, — 
Those  deep  and  tender  twilight  eyes, 


Baby  Bell. 

So  full  of  meaning,  pure  and  bright 
As  if  she  yet  stood  in  the  light 
Of  those  oped  gates  of  Paradise. 
And  so  we  loved  her  more  and  more : 
Ah,  never  in  our  hearts  before 

Was  love  so  lovely  born ! 
We  felt  we  had  a  link  between 
This  real  world  and  that  unseen,  — 


x 


Baby  Bell. 

The  land  beyond  the  morn ; 
And  for  the  love  of  those  dear  eyes, 
For  love  of  her  whom  God  led  forth, 
(The  mother's  being  ceased  on  earth 
When  Baby  came  from  Paradise,)  — 
For  love  of  Him  who  smote  our  lives, 

And  woke  the  chords  of  joy  and  pain, 
We  said,  Dear  Christ! — our  hearts  bent  down 

Like  violets  after  rain. 


IV. 


And  now  the  orchards,  which  were  white 


And  red  with  blossoms  when  she  came, 


Were  rich  in  autumn's  mellow  prime ; 


Baby  Bell. 


The  clustered  apples  burnt  like  flame, 
The  soft-cheeked  peaches  blushed  and  fell, 

The  ivory  chestnut 


The  grapes 

hung  purpling  in  the  grange 
And  time  wrought  just  as  rich  a  change 
In  little  Baby  Bell. 


Baby  Bell. 


Her  lissome  form  more  perfect  grew, 
And  in  her  features  we  could  trace, 
In  softened  curves,  her  mother's  face. 


A 


Baby  Bell. 

Her  angel-nature  ripened  too : 

We  thought  her  lovely  when  she  came, 

But  she  was  holy,  saintly  now  .  .  . 

Around  her  pale  angelic  brow 
We  saw  a  slender  ring  of  flame! 


V. 


God's  hand  had  taken  away  the  seal 

That  held  the  portals  of  her  speech ; 
And  oft  she  said  a  few  strangre  words 


Baby  Bell. 

Whose  meaning  lay  beyond  our  reach. 
She  never  was  a  child  to  us, 
We  never  held  her  being's  key; 
We  could  not  teach  her  holy  things  : 
She  was  Christ's  self  in  purity. 


VI. 


It  came  upon  us  by  degrees, 
We  saw  its  shadow  ere  it  fell, 
The  knowledge  that 
our  (lod  had  ben 


His  messenger  for  Baby  Bell. 

We  shuddered  with  unlanguaged  pain. 


Baby  Bell. 


And  all  our  hopes  were  changed  to  fears, 
And  all  our  thoughts  ran  into  tears 
Like  sunshine  into  rain. 
We  cried  aloud  in  our  belief, 


Baby  Bell. 

"  O,  smite  us  gently,  gently,  God ! 
Teach  us  to  bend  and  kiss  the  rod, 
And  perfect  grow  through  grief." 
Ah!   how  we  loved  her,  God  can  tell; 
Her  heart  w^as  folded  deep  in  ours. 
Our  hearts  are  broken.  Baby  Bell! 


VII. 


At  last  he  came,  the  messenger, 
The  messenger  from  unseen  lands 
And  what  did  dainty  Baby  Bell? 


Baby  Bell. 

She  only  crossed  her  little  hands, 
She  only  looked  more  meek  and  fair! 
We  parted  back  her  silken  hair, 
We  wove  the  roses  round  her  brow, — 
White  buds,  the  summer's  drifted  snow,' 
Wrapt  her  from  head  to  foot  in  flowers 
And  thus  went  dainty  Baby  Bell 
Out  of  this  world  of  ours! 


